Street Fighter 2 Turbo Review (SNES)

Over the decades countless fighting games have been released, but only a few are actually worth remembering. If you look back through contenders and pretenders, it was not until Street Fighter II burst onto the Super Nintendo in the early nineties that things became really interesting on home consoles.

From that moment onwards the floodgates opened and the market was flooded with the good, (Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct) the average (Tuff ‘E’ Nuff) and the really bad (Kasumi Ninja). Street Fighter II Turbo was the first in a seemingly constant stream of Street Fighter updates. To entice players it offered the four boss characters from the previous release, combined with improved graphics and more frantic action.

Someone out there may be unfamiliar with the Street Fighter story, and if so, then this paragraph is just for you. The Street Fighter tournament aims to find the best fighter in the world. With such a distinctive title on offer, competitors travel long distances with the aim of beating people up for fame, fortune or for a far more worthy reason. The common theme that runs throughout the Street Fighter series focuses on Ryu; the martial arts master who fights to test himself. In the previous tournament Ryu defeated Sagat in the final, hitting him so hard with his dragon punch that it burned a scar across his chest. Now Sagat wants revenge, and gathers along with a strange mix of characters for the next tournament.

Characters and locations are now more colourful and vibrant in comparison to the first Street Fighter II, however the odd piece of detail has disappeared - for instance the two signs that could be used to throw people through are now missing from Ryu’s stage (although admittedly this is just a minor point).

Characters are large and move incredibly smoothly with no discernible delay between pressing a button and the action-taking place on screen. Graphically, the game was extremely strong on release and even now it has dated very well. Controlling each of the characters is an absolute joy each character moves and plays in a completely different way (apart from Ryu and Ken), giving players a wide choice of different styles to pick from. The boost in speed is also welcome addition, as it makes the action flow at such a high velocity - all carried out without a hint of slowdown. With such large characters this is something that really deserves recognition.

Furthermore, the game plays so brilliantly because it allows players to plan a couple of moves ahead, allowing for basic combination moves to be pulled off with relative ease. An example of this dynamic is while Ryu is connecting with a jumping kick you can input the command for a fireball or dragon punch and the character will pull off the move directly after finishing the kick without hesitating between blows. A process that would become ever more built upon as the series developed.

What is on show in terms of a control system is arguably the best example of controls for a two-dimensional fighting title that has ever been developed. Even to this day the control system here has never really been bettered and it is unlikely it ever will be.

Overall, Street Fighter II Turbo takes a classic game and improves it further. The addition of enhanced graphics, four extra playable characters, faster gameplay and an extra bonus game creates a perfect game beyond comprehension in its greatness. No other fighting game of the era can come close to comparison with its pure genius. If you own a Super Nintendo you must have this game, it's as simple as that. If you don't have a Super Nintendo go and buy one.

Overall 10/10

Retro 101's Favourite Beat'em ups Part 3: Capcom, From Alpha to Vampire

Last time we looked at how Capcom used the Marvel license to create some of the most fun and chaotic fighting games of all time. This time around we are taking a look at the most famous fighting franchise in the world (minus certain very bad games), and Capcom's, often forgotten, other fighting series.

Street Fighter 2 Turbo

Street Fighter 2 is probably the most famous and important fighting game in the history of the industry. When it was converted to home systems for the first time it had an impact that only a handful of other games can come anywhere near to. Capcom struck gold with Street Fighter 2 and they have been bringing out new versions of it ever since.

Though there have been many different versions of the game with various differing features you will never find a better one than Street Fighter 2 Turbo on the Super Nintendo. The turbo edition allowed players to play as the four boss characters and also remixed and balanced the moves of classic combatants.

There is an argument as to if the Megadrive or SNES version of the game is better. For our money the Super Nintendo one wins hands down every time. Street Fighter 2 belongs on the Nintendo system and, fittingly, can be found very easily and cheaply in cartridge form or on the Wii Virtual Console. Whatever you do don't get the awful Live Arcade version though.

                                   Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix

After Street Fighter 2 came Super Street Fighter 2. The new version added a further five characters which comprised of the excellent Cammy, Akuma and Fei Long and the not so good Dee Jay and T Hawk. Once again classic characters had their move sets tweaked as well. However, it is a little unbalanced if you know how to exploit it.

Though the game is available in various forms on the SNES, Megadrive, PS2, Saturn and Dreamcast, the best version by far can be found on Xbox Live Arcade for the sum of 1200 points. Here you can play the classic version or the HD Remix version which makes certain moves easier to pull off on the awful 360 pad.

The Xbox 360 version really is worth a look as serious effort has been put into sprucing up the game. The new title screen music is worth the asking price on its own.

Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold/Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper

The Street Fighter Alpha series mixes characters from the Final Fight universe with classic street fighters. There are three main games in the series and numerous different versions of each with tweaks and the occasionally added character. The Alpha series also introduced numerous new techniques such as air blocking, countering and dash attacks.

Street Fighter Alpha 2 Gold added Cammy into the mix and still holds up exceptionally well. There is something about it that just feels so right and the bright characters and backgrounds help give the game a real vibrancy. It is also the version of Alpha 2 that really got the balance of all the new features right.
Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper is the final version of Alpha 3 and has an absolute mass of characters to choose from. Any version of Alpha 3 is worth playing but the added characters and slight balancing of features makes this the most tactical of all the Street Fighter games.

Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper is one of the most flawless fighting games you will ever come across and in a real high point of an already excellent franchise. It is also, arguably, our favourite Street Fighter game ever.

You can pick up Alpha 3 on the Playstation and Dreamcast but the best version (and best place to find Alpha 2 Gold), is on the PS2 Street Fighter Alpha Anthology. Here you get all the games along with Gem fighters. However, you will have to unlock Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper by reaching the boss in the normal Alpha 3 game first.

It also has to be said that there is an absolutely stunning version of Street Fighter Alpha 3 Upper on the Game Boy Advance. A marvel to behold, it's unbelievable that the development team managed to squeeze everything into it. It looks amazing as well.

                                              Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike

It took three re-workings but finally Capcom managed to make the game they were trying to. It's not really worth bothering with the first two versions of the game but 3rd Strike cannot be ignored. Characters are much bigger and the tactical elements have been refined down to a core handful. However, the one big addition is the new way of blocking.

Pushing towards your opponent just at the point they strike you will parry and leave them open for a counter attack. This creates a nerve shredding game of cat and mouse. If you want evidence of the chaos this can cause then look at one of the many videos around the net.

Many people don't get on with Street Fighter 3 and it is fairly easy to see why. Aside from a handful of characters everyone is new and unfamiliar. This means players have to learn new techniques. The character designs are also a little uninspiring and certainly not as iconic as many of the others in the series.

If you can overcome this, there is a solid and tactical fighter waiting to be found. Street Fighter 3 certainly has a little slower pace than some of the other games but it also has its own distinct personality.

Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike is best played on the Dreamcast. It can be a little tricky to find and the game may set you back the price of a new title but it is well worth investing in if you are a Street Fighter fan. An excellent version is also available via Xbox Live and the Playstation network.

Super/Street Fighter IV

Street Fighter IV may be the new kid on the block but it is a master class in how to revitalise an old franchise. It's much more accessible to newcomers than the Alpha series or Street Fighter III and has had most of the complicated techniques from those games removed. Yet, it still has stupid amounts of depth and some new tricks of its own.

The new graphical style is jaw dropping and the rounds go at a breakneck speed. All the characters from the original Street Fighter 2 are included along with Cammy, Fei Long and Akuma from Super Street Fighter 2, Rose, Gen and Dan from Street Fighter Alpha 3 and several new characters.

All the characters, with the possible exception of Rose, feel right at home in their new surroundings. After you have got to grips with the style of the game and the pad it is simply impossible to put down. Add in a host of new games modes and superb online play and this really is one of the most essential games for years. The 'super' and 'arcade' versions of the game add more characters and moves for an even deeper experience.

Capcom vs. SNK Millennium Fight 2000/Capcom vs. SNK 2

Not happy with Ryu and co mixing it up with the stars of the Marvel universe, Capcom also secured a deal to have them knocking ten bells out of SNK characters as well. Capcom vs. SNK 1 and 2 are very different games and both are worth a look as they use significantly different control schemes. The list of characters in each also varies widely.

Capcom vs. SNK Millennium Fight 2000 uses the four button system found in most SNK beat'em fighters. Characters only have a light and heavy attack which makes for a much faster paced and less tactical game. This is fine as the vs. series has always been about arcade style fighting.

In this respect Capcom vs. SNK can't really be faulted. The music and sound effects do an amazing job of creating an adrenaline fuelled game and it is incredibly hard to put down. Fights don't last long but they are chaotic, full on and filled with pyrotechnics.

Capcom vs. SNK 2 uses the six button control scheme found in most Capcom fighting games. It also adds characters from the Samurai Shodown and the Last Blade universe and greatly expands the character roster. You can also choose a number of different special bars and styles to suit how you want to play.

The game is massively unbalanced though. Mixing just about every different game from the Capcom and SNK universe creates some characters that simply don't fit together. Furthermore, the SNK characters feel far more uncomfortable with six button controls than the Capcom ones do with four.

Though a touch uneven and messy Capcom vs. SNK 2 is still good fun and well worth picking up for fans. Capcom vs. SNK Millennium Fight 2000 is best found on the Dreamcast. Capcom vs. SNK 2 only made it to pal territories on the PS2 and can still be found if you keep your eyes open.

Vampire Chronicle for Matching Service

The Vampire Chronicle series, otherwise known as Dark Stalkers, basically takes the Street Fighter template and puts zombies, were-wolves and vampires in the place of Ryu and his fellow fighters. The games may not have the same sort of appeal as the main Street Fighter series but they are undoubtedly good fun and well put together.

The long running franchise culminated in this little oddity on the Dreamcast. Vampire Chronicle for Matching Service is basically a compilation of all the versions of all the characters from the series. This means that if you like a character in his incarnation in the second game of the series then you can pick that version. This idea was later used by Capcom for the Street Fighter 2 Hyper Fighting Anthology on the PS2.

Originally, the game let you play online using the Dreamcast's wonderfully innovative service. Obviously, that part of the game is now long gone but it remains a very special fighter in it's own right.

There are an awful lot of bad versions of various Vampire Chronicle games around. It's best to avoid the PSP game and anything on the Playstation. This means that you will either need to import a game for the Saturn (We recommend Vampire Saviour), or get hold of the exceedingly rare Dreamcast game which was only ever given away to members of Club Sega in Japan. An HD remake is set to appear very soon so it may be worth holding out for that.

Capcom Classics Collection: Volume 1 (PS2)

Another week, another Retro collection hits the shelves. After the excellent Taito Legends, Capcom has seen fit to issue their own disc of delights. The titles on offer are mainly from the eight and sixteen-bit days of the company and unfortunately many have been released before on PSOne collections, but if this is to be the first in a series of compilations we hope that later editions will fill the gaps for fans waiting for games such as Sunset Riders, Strider and Knights of the Round.

So let us look at a selection of the better titles on offer in this compilation:Capcoms seminal fighting title, Street Fighter 2 is represented with three games on the compilation: Street Fighter 2, SF2 Championship Edition and SF2 Hyper Fighting. Unfortunately we dont get a version with Cammy, Dee-Jay and the later characters in the series, but the versions present are emulated well enough (bar a few sound issues). The basic template of the series may have been improved with Street Fighter Alpha 3 but the original titles still offer a great arcade experience.

Heroic Sir Arthur also gets three games on the disc; Ghosts n Goblins, Ghouls n Ghosts and surprisingly even the SNES title Super Ghouls n Ghosts. Each of the games retains their rock hard difficulty level and offer up some of the best platforming action gaming has to offer. The graphics remain clear and well drawn and with the three titles so full of personality it helps to ease the frustration of not being able to get off the first level without dying several thousand times.The 1940 series also make a welcome inclusion with 1942, 1943 and 1943 Kai in the collection for your playing pleasure. The 1940 series has always baffled us, simply because while 1943 and Kai are clearly superior games to 1942 with better graphics and more varied enemies, when it comes to actually picking a game to play 1942 is always the one. There is just something about its simple approach that endears it to us.

Final Fight, the sideways-scrolling Beat'em up, where you must rescue a damsel in distress from a street gang shows that apart from playing a little slow, it is still an absolute joy. The characters, Cody, Haggar and Guy, are large and colourful and there is a decent assortment of levels and enemies to get through. The three characters all play slightly differently and Haggar especially can pull off a variety of moves. Final Fights inclusion also means this is the first time on a home console that a complete version of the game has been available.

Bionic Commando, always a title overlooked when people think of Capcom, provides a nice touch of variety to the pack. A platform shooter, Bionic Commando equips our character with an extendable arm that can be used to swing from ledges and knock enemies back. The game itself may be a little short but it's enjoyable and still plays well, which shows that Capcom generally build games to last.

Forgotten Worlds is definitely one of Capcom's better side scrolling shooters, but was always the game that caused the most problems when it was converted, with most of the home computer versions being near unplayable. The PS2 Pad is not perfect for the game, but after a while you do get used to the controls, which allow the experience to be passed off adequately enough.

Section Z is also here (but the less said about that the better).Everything else on the compilation is of no real long-term interest and contains nothing that will make you go out and part with your cash. Mercs, Commando and Gun Smoke are entertaining in small bursts but have aged and feel clunky. Trojan is simply awful and Exed Exes, Legendary Wings, Pirate Ship Higemaru, Son Son and Vulgus do give the compilation a more complete look, but are unlikely to become mainstays for gamers.

The Compilation is presented well, and each game has various extras that can be unlocked. We truly hope that Capcom continues with the compilations in the future and gets to showcase more of their arcade titles along the way. Maybe this is not up to the high standards of Taitos eclectic first compilation but it still has more than enough to interest most gamers.

7/10

Hyper Street Fighter 2 Anniversary Edition Review (PS2)

By now we all know the story of Street Fighter 2, Ryu and Sagat do not like each other after the last tournament, a strange group of characters enter and fight for whatever reason etc.This version of the game has all seventeen characters from the Street Fighter 2 universe. What makes the game a joy for fans is the fact that all versions of the characters are present. If you want to put the classic version of Ryu up against the Hyper version of Ken you can.

Needless to say the graphics do look a little dated but manage to hold up to the test of time. The game itself moves along at whichever pace you choose from the options menu, but again, if a fifteen year old game was slowing down on the PS2 there would be serious questions to answer.

Everything is as responsive and intuitive as you remember it being. However, after years of being spoilt by Super, Hyper and Turbo finishing moves in the Street Fighter Alpha and Street Fighter 3 series, these Super moves seem a bit flat. Ryu's triple fire ball is just not as impressive as his later whirl wind hurricane kick, but in the heat of battle you will be pleased to have anything at your disposal.

What is questionable is how long you are actually going to spend playing this game. When the Street Fighter series has moved on both in terms of arcade action (Street Fighter 3, Marvel vs Capcom) and tactically (Street Fighter Alpha) it is highly plausible that after a couple of goes the novelty value will wear off for most people. Yes it is a complete version of a classic game but by now that classic game has evolved into something better. While that misses the point of this package, in terms of long term appeal it is bound to have an impact.

There is no denying this is a good package however. Apart from the main game the dedication to cramming in all the Street Fighter 2 goodness is apparent throughout. The option screen lets you listen to the music of any stage, intro screen or credit sequence from any version of the game. This is not the most exciting addition in the world but is still a nice touch.

The Street Fighter 2 Anime is also included making the special edition even more of a complete article. Annoyingly however, it is slightly cut and not of the best picture quality. Nothing of major importance is taken out (a small section with Chun Li in the shower) but when you are presented with what seems like a complete and final version of a product, the fact it has a small section unnecessarily removed does grate. The film itself is of a pretty high standard and something every Street Fighter fan should have in their collection.

When looking at the Street Fighter Anniversary edition it is hard to come to a satisfactory conclusion as to how it should be judged. In terms of the gaming market now, the game, while still playing like a dream feels basic. Looking at it from the point of view of a fan however, apart from the issue with the editing in the movie, you could not ask for anything more. This is the definitive Street Fighter 2 experience, though it is definitely no longer the definitive fighting experience. If you're looking for a complete retro package of one of gaming histories greats then this is for you, anyone else would be better served finding a latter version of the Street Fighter Series.

6/10